History: (What If? II#113 (fb)) - One night in the Hamptons, renowned
surgeon Dr. Stephen Strange attended a party which also housed a drunk Tony
Stark. Stark drunkenly spoke to Strange about his upcoming medical patents
and offered to take him for a ride in his lamborghini. Strange at first did
not want to until a woman stopped him to thank him for saving her life. Annoyed
and arrogant, Strange quickly took Stark up on his offer for ride to get
himself away from his fan. Expectedly, the car crashed with the drunk Stark
behind the wheel and Strange lost the use of his hands due to permenant nerve
damage. Intensely guilt-ridden at costing Strange his career, Stark put his
growing company on hold to devote all of his time to repairing Strange's
hands. Eventually, Stark and Strange travelled to Tibet to seek out the healer
known as the Ancient One. The Ancient One invited the two of them to become
his apprentices in the mystic arts, but Strange, thinking him a crackpot,
annoyingly complained. Seeing Strange's disinterest, Stark thanked the Ancient
One and started to make his leave. On his way out, Stark discovered that
the Ancient One's other apprentice, Karl Mordo, was casting a curse on the
Ancient One. Stark angrily confronted Mordo, but was cursed with a spell
that forbid him from speaking about what he had seen. In order to save the
Ancient One, Tony Stark agreed to become the Ancient One's apprentice so
that he could stop Mordo. Eventually, Stark had learned enough to expel Mordo
from the Ancient One's temple and was appointed Earth's sorcerer champion
by the Ancient One himself. He then returned to the United States, along
with Strange as his assistant, convinced that the mystic arts held the key
to repairing Strange's hands. Once back in the States, Stark began work on
an experimental suit of armor to aid him in his mystic dealings.

(What If? II#113) - One night, Stark discovered that the dread Dormammu
was planning to overthrow the Earth and was attacked by a servant of Dormammu.
After the battle, Stark continued his work on his mystic suit of armor as
Strange thought that waiting for Stark to help him was idiotic and that it
was time he help himself. Stark's work was interrupted by the arrival of
his accountants, Happy and Pepper Hogan, who had him sign a few papers. Once
his business was taken care of, Stark entered the Dark Dimension in search
of Dormammu. Soon after entering, Stark was attacked by two of Dormammu's
minions which he easily rid himself of. Eventually confronting Dormammu himself,
Stark donned his newly-made mystic armor and he jumped into battle against
Dormammu. Knocking Dormammu to the ground, Stark was surprised when Dormammu
cast a spell that rid him of his armor. Dormammu then explained to a now-captive
Stark that he had been given an image of Stark's armor by his new friend,
who was revealed to be Dr. Stephen Strange, who had grown tired of waiting
for Stark to repair his hands. As Dormammu turned toward the Earth, Strange
interrupted and reminded him of his side of the bargain. Dormammu then cast
a spell that "repaired" Strange's hands as he opened a portal to Earth. After
Dormammu had left, Clea confronted Strange and asked why he betrayed his
world the way he had. Strange asked how Dormammu was any different than the
scum that inhabited the Earth already and Clea showed Strange the Mindless
Ones. She explained to Stephen that Dormammu intended to use the Earth to
exile the Mindless Ones from the Dark Dimension, allowing them to destroy
it. Realizing what he had done, Strange quickly joined Clea in getting Tony
Stark's armor back. Strange then donned the armor himself and freed Tony
from his captivity. Strange explained to Tony that even though his hands
were healed, he wouldn't be much good on Earth as a doctor if everyone was
dead. Tony quickly used the Eye of Agamotto to show Strange what Dormammu
had really done, which was cast a spell on Strange to drain his lifeforce
via invisible serpents that would lend temporary strength while draining
his life. Tony Stark quickly re-donned his armor and challenged Dormammu
to a battle on the astral plane. Dormammu accepted and while the battle took
place, Stark's armor phased from Stark's physical form and grabbed Dormammu's
physical form. The armor then hurled Dormammu's physical body into the depths
of the Dark Dimension, forcing Dormammu to break his plans for Earth's conquest
to retrieve his physical body. Once Dormammu had been defeated, Stark explained
to Strange that he could never fully trust him again and that he was sure
his armor's technology could cure Strange's hands. Stephen instead opted
to stay in the Dark Dimension with Clea as Stark returned to Earth.

Comments: Created by Chris Duffy, Gregg Schigiel, and Ron Boyd.

This Earth diverged from the events seen in Strange Tales I#110 (July, 1963).

When Tony Stark drunkenly caused a car crash that cost Dr. Stephen Strange
the use of his hands, he was racked with guilt. Stark dedicated his life
to finding a cure for Strange, eventually turning to the Ancient One for
help. Discovering a plot by the Ancient One's apprentice, Baron Mordo, Stark
agreed to stay and study with the Ancient One. Once becoming Earth's sorcerer
Champion, Stark returned to Earth to use his newfound abilities to help Dr.
Strange. Before he could do so, he discovered a plot by the dread Dormammu
to invade the Earth and travelled to the Dark Dimension to stop him. Once
there, Stark was defeated by Dormammu with the help of a traitorous Dr. Strange,
who had grown tired of waiting for a cure. Strange soon realized the error
of his ways, however, and freed Stark from captivity. Once Dormammu was defeated,
Stark returned to Earth.

--What If? II#113

DOCTOR STEPHEN
STRANGE

The arrogant Dr. Strange was injured in a car crash involving a drunk Tony
Stark, where he lost the use of his hands. After the crash, Strange became
an assistant of Stark's while Stark frantically searched for a cure to Strange's
injuries. Stark's search eventually took both him and Strange to the Ancient
One, where Stark learned the mystic arts in order to save the Ancient One
from a plot from Baron Mordo. Upon returning to Earth, Dr. Strange grew tired
of waiting for Stark to find him a cure and aided Dormammu in capturing Tony.
After he helped Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, Strange was confronted by
Clea, who showed Strange the error of his ways. Strange and Clea then freed
Tony from captivity, allowing him to defeat Dormammu. After the battle, Strange
opted to stay in the Dark Dimension with Clea instead of returning to Earth.